Does a new .co.uk domain have a 60-day transfer lock?

1. Check the ending before counting the days

A search for “domain transfer locked” often leads to instructions written for .com. Those instructions are not a universal checklist for every country-code domain. A .co.uk address belongs to the UK namespace administered by Nominet. Start with your full domain name and the process your receiving provider currently supports.

For example, imagine buying matching .co.uk and .com names on Monday and deciding on Friday to bring their renewals into one account. Do not assume both must move together or share one release date. Ask the providers to check each name separately. You can retain both names while a move is being planned; you do not need to cancel either registration and try to buy it again.

Sources: Nominet: current registrar change acceptance options ↗ · ICANN: transfer restrictions for generic domain registrations ↗

2. Understand what the 60-day warning means

ICANN’s transfer guidance describes circumstances in which a registrar may refuse a generic-domain transfer within 60 days of initial registration or a previous transfer. A change of registrant can also trigger a 60-day lock; a provider may offer an opt-out before that change. These are different situations, so ask which one applies and when it ends.

A registrar-change restriction is also different from a website connection problem. Moving website hosting, updating a permitted DNS record and transferring the registration are separate actions. Ask what your current account permits while a transfer is restricted. Never change owner information to try to evade a security check, and do not disclose your account password or authenticator code to someone offering to remove a lock.

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Sources: ICANN: transfer restrictions for generic domain registrations ↗

3. Use the current UK process in the right order

For today’s UK tag process, arrange the incoming request with the receiving provider before asking the current registrar to release the domain. Use the exact receiving tag supplied for that request. Registry acceptance settings can require a handshake, so a submitted request is not proof that the new account already manages the name.

NameUK currently supports self-service incoming transfers of eligible unsigned .co.uk and .uk domains. Review the details and confirmations in your signed-in account, then follow the supplied release instructions. Signed domains and other incoming endings are not available through that route. Contact support for the supported options if a DNSSEC or eligibility check stops the request; do not remove protection simply to make a form proceed.

Sources: Nominet: current registrar change acceptance options ↗

4. Keep website, email and DNS running

A transfer changes management of the registration. It does not copy your website files, mailbox history or DNS zone. Before releasing the name, identify who runs each service and whether that service continues when the domain leaves. An unused new domain is simpler to plan, but an address already printed on invoices deserves a continuity check.

Save the nameservers and the actual DNS records. Ask whether the old DNS zone remains active after transfer; preserving nameserver names is not enough if the provider removes the zone. If DNS must move, copy and verify records before switching. Test the website and inbound and outbound email afterwards. A signed domain also needs an agreed DNSSEC plan so the registry and DNS host remain consistent.

5. Separate transfer costs from registration and renewal

Register .co.uk for £9.99 for one year, with annual renewal currently £9.99. Or choose a new three-year .co.uk registration for £25.99. Check the selected name and term before payment. Future renewal prices can change.

The figures above are NameUK’s approved prices for new eligible UK registrations and annual renewals. The initial three-year offer is not a recurring three-year renewal promise. A transfer is a separate action: the current supported incoming .co.uk/.uk route costs £0 and preserves the existing expiry date. Do not treat that move as an extra paid registration year.

If you are choosing where to buy a new name, compare the annual renewal price and access to domain controls as well as the first payment. NameUK is a useful option for a buyer who wants published UK registration and renewal prices with dashboard DNS management. This is our own service recommendation, not an independent market ranking. Check any outgoing-provider charges and keep the existing renewal covered while a transfer remains pending.

6. Recheck the process around February 2027

Nominet has announced standardisation for 9 February 2027. Its current transition guidance says transfer authorisation codes will replace the existing IPS-tag process. Do not start using future instructions for a move under today’s system, or assume that a present-day guide will describe the process unchanged after that date.

When you are ready to move, obtain current instructions from both providers. NameUK’s present tag route is not a promise of future code-transfer availability. Keep the request reference and any stated deadline, and check the dashboard for completion before cancelling a service. If a provider says “wait 60 days”, ask it to identify the applicable rule for the exact ending and transaction.

Sources: Nominet: announced UK standardisation date ↗ · Nominet: future transfer process questions ↗

7. Buying now? Keep your exit options understandable

Before paying for a new domain, use an account and contact mailbox you control, record the legal owner correctly, and check how you will access renewals, DNS and future transfers. A lower first-year price is less helpful if you have not checked the ongoing cost or who can authorise changes. Keep the purchase confirmation and verify that registration has completed.

Choose the name because it fits the business, not because a transfer can supposedly finish instantly. Eligibility and verification still matter. If you have not registered yet, search for your preferred .co.uk address and review the displayed registration term and renewal price. If you already own it, use the transfer route instead of trying to register the same name again.